Monthly Archives: June 2015

I just had a BLAST yesterday doing magic for the employees of erincondren.com. They produce very customized stationary, calendars, life planners, phone covers, etc. Really great colors. Really fun and inspirational stuff.

On June 9, 2015 they launched their newest product and the employees had been working very hard for the last month or two so they could be ready for the launch. To say thank you the company hired me to perform inspirational magic for the employees. Magic with a message acknowledging the whole team for all of the hard work they had done. We also reviewed the key goals of the company during my performance as fun way to keep everyone on the same page as they move into their 3rd quarter.

At 2:00 in the afternoon, all 90 of the employees were asked to come out to the warehouse. Eric Condren started the program off by saying thank you to all of the team. She then commented that what they do may seem like magic to the customers, but we all know that it’s really a lot of hard work. So celebrate our success, I’d like to introduce you to the most magical man I know, Jeff Parmer.

I performed a 30 minute show for the entire group emphasizing key concepts for the company, then walked around the company offices and performed some of my favorite Roving Close Up Magic for the marketing team up stairs. We really had a fun time together.

So if you are looking for a fun way to acknowledge your employees, your management team, etc, consider my custom scripted magic as a way to not only acknowledge your team, but to inspire them and remind them of what your team goals are as well. If everyone is focused on the same goals and commitments the company will operate with a more healthy efficiency.

If you are considering hiring a magician for a Grad Night here are a few valuable tips.

Make sure that the magician authentically loves being around younger people. If he is a faker, they will be able to see right through it.

Make sure his/her magic is really good. There is nothing worse than a magician who’s magic is so weak that you can see what he is doing. The magic needs to really be powerful if you are going to hold the attention of high schoolers who are up all night.

Make sure your magician is flexible in his/her performance style.

I just performed for the Malibu High Grad Night on Thursday, June 4, 2015. We knew for sure that my Roving Close Up Magic was going to be a good fit. The parents also really liked my Magic Comedy Show, but we all agreed that there would never really be a time at this particular grad nite where we could gather everyone’s attention and have a full on show. So what we did this: I had my favorite 5 routines from my Magic Comedy Show with me. And when ever the opportunity presented itself, and I had a pretty good crowd around me, I would perform one of these premium routines. I called it “Roving Close Up Magic WITH EXPLOSIONS”. In this way, I was able to bring the best of my magic, and present it in a way that was flexible to fit the needs of the client in a venue that would not allow a stage show.

They loved it. Here is are two quotes from A.J. Steinberg, event planner at Masquerade Events

“Jeff, you were amazing and totally made the evening perfect! Thanks for the great magic and I look forward to working with you again!
…aj”

Then she sent a second email to me at 4:00 in the afternoon

“Hi Jeff,

I just want to thank you again. You were the total hit of the party! All the feedback we got back was raving about you. Thanks so much!!!!
…aj”

So what is the point of all of this? Magicians, like other vendors can get stuck in a rut as to what services they provide. I could have just told the client that in order to have the premium routines, they would have to have a magic comedy show or else forget it. But by staying FLEXIBLE I was able to give them everything they wanted and make it work for their venue. So make sure that the magician that you are considering is open minded to your situation. That said, we magicians are experts at what makes our magic work. So you should find a nice balance between taking your professional’s advice, and keeping them in check about making sure they are serving your needs, for your event.

This is a very subtle point but I hope it helps you to plan for great magic at your next grad night.